Along with a widespread of personal computers and digital home electrical appliances, interconnecting the devices over a home IP (Internet Protocol) network to thereby enjoy sharing digital content such as videos, audio, and photos becomes reality. For example, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) has established technical specifications and implementation guidelines necessary for sharing digital content by those digital devices, with which devices of different venders are connectable with each other. This provides the industry standard of the home IP networks.
Meanwhile, there is also a change in the broadcast system. An IPTV service, a VOD (Video On Demand) service, and the like, which transmit video content, having been provided by terrestrial and satellite broadcasting conventionally, over IP broadband networks, are beginning to be put into commercial use. In such a service, an STB (Set Top Box) is installed in the home, and the STB is connected with a display device such as a television receiver, whereby the service can be received.
If the IPTV service and the VOD service become popular, user's needs for utilizing video content, provided by the IPTV service, in DLNA devices will increase, similarly to the case where the content of TV programs provided by typical broadcasting has been watched and listened by being shared by DLNA devices.
As a solution for realizing such needs, a system of converting the protocol, the media format, and the like of an IPTV service to a protocol, a media format, and the like of a DLNA device to thereby provide it to a home network-connected device, can be considered. It should be noted that a module for integration in a home network, which performs format conversion processing, is described in Patent Document 1.